Customer Background

VesselMan and Ulysses Hellas S.A. have joined forces to develop a new solution that tracks and visualises crew skills across maintenance, dry-docking, and technical projects. The initiative, supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014–2021 (Business Innovation Greece programme), is designed to help shipping companies optimise resources and improve operational performance.

The Challenge: Limited Visibility Into Crew Competence and Resource Allocation

In ship management, crewing departments often struggle to match the right people with the right tasks, particularly during unscheduled events such as breakdowns or major dry-docking projects. Traditional systems do not give managers the visibility they need into the skills and experience of their teams, resulting in under-utilisation of talent and inefficient resource allocation.

The Solution: A Skills Matrix to Optimise Manning and Maintenance

Together, VesselMan and Ulysses Systems are building a skills matrix that enables shipping companies to:

• Track and visualise the skills and experience of crew members.

• Optimise manning based on business requirements and vessel performance needs.

• Ensure planned maintenance schedules are met, even when job sequences change due to unscheduled repairs or dry-docking.

This solution complements the existing integration between planned maintenance systems and technical project management already established by the two companies, bringing crew competence and technical performance into one unified workflow.

The Impact: Smarter Manning, Stronger Compliance, Better Vessel Performance

The project will deliver:

• Better crew awareness – giving managers a clearer understanding of available skills and resources.

• Optimised manning – ensuring the right people are allocated to the right technical projects at the right time.

• Improved maintenance compliance – supporting both routine and unscheduled work with guided processes.

• Enhanced vessel performance – reducing downtime, improving repair quality, and boosting operational efficiency.

Partnership Perspective: Shared Vision for Smarter, More Efficient Shipping

"We see a massive potential in optimising teams and fully using all resources when necessary. This feature will help crewing departments get a better way to create awareness of the skills and experience of the crew."
— Ulysses Hellas S.A.

Next Steps: Shaping the Future of Maritime Operations

The “Crew management system to improve manning based on skills, experience, and business requirements” project is a major step forward in bridging the gap between crewing and technical management. By combining expertise in maintenance and digital project execution, Ulysses and VesselMan are shaping a smarter, more efficient future for maritime operations.

Supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the programme “Business Innovation Greece”. ​